


Fate is Calling

by DewyMew



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Modern Girl in Thedas - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, I Don't Even Know, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-10-31 10:20:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17847581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DewyMew/pseuds/DewyMew
Summary: Toria was just a widower working in a small town bookstore when she fell into the world of Thedas, right into Commander Cullen's arms. There's no chance of going home, and with the looks Cullen Rutherford gives her, does she even want to?





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Flashes of the brightest green. Screaming and growls. The briefest hint of cold air before a wave of sulfur hits her nose. “Take my hand!”_

Toria woke with a start, sweat running down her face. Taking a deep breath, she brushes away the remnants of the bad dream she was having. She sighs heavily and looks at the clock on her bed stand. Four in the morning. “Ugh. Time to get up, I guess.” Toria groans while rolling out of bed, stretching lightly.

It still felt strange to wake up alone since the passing of her husband. He had been a police officer, highly decorated and an endless source of pride for Toria. They had grown up together as children and fell in love. Eventually they married and had a charmed life together, until that fateful day that tore Toria’s life apart from the seams. It had been a year and a half but her chest still had a hollow feeling that she couldn’t seem to fill.

Toria padded over to the mirror to wash the sleep from her face. Her dark blue eyes and full lips were drawn. Her long blonde hair falling unkempt around her shoulders. She sighed. She was attractive, she supposed, but hadn’t really felt any motivation to date again and being only twenty-seven she felt like it wasn’t a pressing issue to rush back into the dating game. After drying her face, Toria walked to the kitchen to start breakfast. She had been a housewife when her husband was alive but since his passing, she helped run a bookshop in the small town that she lived just outside of. She loved the bookshop, the musty smells and the characters that came to visit. Books were an escape from the reality she lived in. Then there were the video games she delved into and didn’t surface from for days on end.

_Ping!_ Toria looked down at her phone, reading the reminder to get ready for work. She finished breakfast and quickly got showered and dressed warmly. Grabbing her bag and tossing her phone inside she picked up her keys and headed out the door. It was still dark out with a light dusting of snow on the ground as she got into her car. She shivered slightly as the car warmed and slowly pulled out onto the street. The dark winding road into town was slightly slick this morning but Toria drove slowly and cautiously. It looked strangely darker than Toria was used to, almost like it was the middle of the night and not the whispering of dawn. Suddenly through the trees up ahead Toria saw a flash of green light. It sparked a moment of déjà vu and Toria remembered the odd dream she had been having before she woke up.

_“Take my hand! You must hurry!”_

Toria frowned. The moment was too much to be a coincidence and against her better judgement she pulled the car over to the side of the road. Taking a steady breath, she grabbed the gun she kept in the car and placed it in her bag. She got out of the car and slowly made her way closer to the flashing of green light. As she got closer the light was almost blinding, but she pressed on and as she got close she saw that it looked as she could only describe as an open portal. Confusion and fear swirled inside of her but her inquisitive mind needed an answer. She crept closer and peered directly into the portal and saw…nothing. It shimmered and moved like a fluid green mirror. She slowly reached out a gloved hand to touch the portal, taking a deep breath as if she were going to be sucked under water.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Sucked in she was. The moment she touched the portal it pulled her in with such a force that Toria was tossed onto the hard, rocky ground on the other side. As she whipped her head back around to see where she had fallen from, she realized with horror that the portal was gone. “What am I supposed to do now?!”, she thought frantically. Suddenly trembling with fear and adrenalin she grasped the gun in her bag and pulled it out, pointing it down to the ground and holding it the way her husband had taught her to. Slowly she looked around, trying to get her bearings. It was smoky and dark, and she thought she could hear skittering legs. She saw a small sliver of light coming from somewhere up ahead and she began to move quietly towards it. She came upon a set of stairs and began to work her way up, moving faster and faster the closer she got to the light. A feeling of desperation came over her and she just knew she had to reach the sliver of light before time ran out. She glanced up and did a double take. There was an older woman standing at the top of the stairs, shrouded in red and white robes. The women seemed to be waving Toria on, and speaking quickly, yet Toria couldn’t hear any words. “What? Who are you? Where am I?”, Toria demanded. The woman continued to wave her on, closer, closer. Toria could feel the barest breeze of cold emanating from the light behind the woman.

All of a sudden, the hairs on Toria’s neck began to rise. She looked behind her, her coursing adrenalin making her brave. She saw a black creature creeping towards her with an unnatural fluidity. Toria’s eyes widened in fear and her mind began to scream “Run. RUN!” Toria whirled around and began to sprint up the remaining stairs towards the mysterious woman. She was only a few steps away from the woman, panting heavily, when she felt something latch onto her ankle and yank her foot out from under her. Toria screamed and hit the ground hard. She rolled over and kicked with all her might, feeling a solid connection. She scrambled backwards, but before she could get far enough away, she felt something grab onto her foot again! Toria tried to kick again but the creature was ready and grabbed onto her other foot. It pulled itself up her legs and Toria’s mind felt as if it were about to break. The being was monstrous and huge. It had horrible razor like teeth, and it had opened its maw as if to take a chunk of her flesh. In a flash of clarity Toria remembered the gun in her hand and brought it up to the being’s face. She lightly squeezed the trigger and felt the gun kick back in her hand. The being immediately exploded into a disgusting gooey mess. Toria looked around in shock, blood soaking into her pants from where she hit the ground and the claw marks the creature had left on her legs. She realized with unmarked terror that more beings were swiftly making their way up the stairs, coming for her. She looked behind her, desperate for the mysterious woman to help her. She saw the woman halfway inside the aura of light, holding out her hand to Toria. Finally, Toria could hear her words…” Take my hand! You must hurry!”. Toria didn’t think another moment and rushed forward towards the woman and grasped her hand, holding on with a vice like grip.

Again, Toria felt as she was being pulled forward with such a force that she was tossed again onto the ground, only this time it was soft and cold. Moaning, Toria rolled over onto her back, looking up towards the sky. She frowned. The sky...it was filled with a swirling vortex of green! The same shade of green as the portal that had brought her to that terrible place. She slowly got to her feet, checking herself quickly for major injuries. When she saw none she began to take in her surroundings. She was outside of what looked like a small town with a lake outside of it’s walls. She saw that there were some tents set up outside the walls too and that there were people running towards her. Toria sank down onto her knees in relief. She felt an intense wave of tiredness wash over her and realized how cold she was, even in her winter clothes. She briefly closed her eyes, waiting for the people to come to her rescue.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Toria’s eyes snapped open at the sounds of shouts drawing near and looked up to see men and women in armor, swords drawn, rushing towards her in formation. They encircled her and slowly advanced on her making the circle smaller and smaller. Confusion sat heavily on Toria as she took in the scene. “Armor? Swords? What is going on?”, she thought to herself. At that moment, an incredibly handsome man in a glorious set of armor stepped through the circle, sword drawn and shield up. A fierce looking woman stepped in behind him next to a beautiful young woman in leathers. It was the fierce woman who spoke first, snapping harshly at Toria, “Who are you? Did you just fall from the breach?”. Toria looked at the woman, feeling another spike of fear and adrenalin. “I-I don’t know…I just fell here…through…a portal? Maybe? I-I’m not sure how to describe it. Those things…they were trying to kill me. I…I shot one.”, Toria haltingly spoke. The fierce one looked at her hard. Toria felt a stirring of recognition but couldn’t seem to place it. The beautiful woman spoke up. “Were you in the fade? The dark and smoky green place?”. Toria nearly wept with relief. “Yes! You believe me?”. The woman nodded slowly, “Yes, I’ve been there too. Do you have any marks upon you?”. Toria looked down at herself and replied, “Just some scrapes and bruises. Nothing I can’t heal from. Please, could you tell me where I am? I- I am so c-cold.”. The beautiful one looked to the others. “Let’s get her inside the gates, she’s no threat.”. The fierce one began to protest but the beautiful one cut her off saying, “If you’re worried, she’s a demon, have Solas look at her.”

Soon Toria found herself inside the walls of the town, shivering and feeling nearly delirious, she found herself outside a small cabin. The beautiful one opened the door and ushered Toria inside. The fierce one and the man in the glorious armor followed but the rest of the soldiers went back to their posts. There was a fireplace with a roaring fire in it and Toria rushed forward to warm herself, feeling as if she could crawl inside the fireplace, as cold as she was. The beautiful one came up next to her, peering closely at her, “What is your name?”, she asked. “I’m Toria.”, Toria replied cautiously. The beautiful one smiled and replied, “I’m Evelyn, the Herald of Andraste. The town you’re in is called Haven and we are the Inquisition. Would you tell me how you came to be here?”. Toria paused and frowned. Herald of Andraste? Inquisition? That couldn’t be right…no. Toria slowly looked around to the two others behind Evelyn. Her stomach dropped. The fierce woman…that was Cassandra Pentaghast. And the man in the glorious armor…Cullen Rutherford. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Toria whipped around back towards the fire so that the others couldn’t see her face. She was breathing hard, her eyes moving back and forth trying to make sense of the situation. Was she dead? Has she lost her mind? What in the hell was going on? She began to piece together what she had just gone through up until this very moment. Had she really gone through the fade? This was supposed to be a game! In the very back of her mind, Toria began to laugh. How many times had she wished to be a part of this world? In Thedas, with this very group of people? Toria’s mind felt stretched and pulled like playdoh. She took a deep steadying breath and began to tell the Herald of Andraste exactly what happened excluding the fact that this world was naught but a game where she was from. She pushed through the confused looks on all three of the faces listening to her story as she described her car and on to the part of the fade. Evelyn had a look of knowing on her face as Toria described the fade and the creatures within and when she got to the part describing the woman who pushed her through the light, Evelyn nodded sharply as Cassandra gasped loudly. “She was saved by Andraste too, Evelyn!”, Cassandra shouted excitedly. Evelyn nodded slowly, “It would seem so. But for what purpose?”. Cullen spoke up, “Perhaps in time, we shall know.”. He eyed Toria with a keen interest. Cassandra began to pace back and forth. “We should set up a meeting immediately, Leliana needs to be informed of these details as soon as possible.” Evelyn agreed quickly, stating she would go alert the other’s now and to meet in the War room in fifteen minutes. Cassandra looked at Cullen saying, “I will set up food and warmer clothes to be sent to her, would you keep her company until I can get guards posted outside of her doors until further notice?”. Cullen nodded and sat down in the chair next to the fire, looking warily at Toria. As soon as Cassandra left, Toria let out a shaky sigh. Rubbing her arms, she looked over at Cullen. He was so much more handsome in real life, if Toria wasn’t in such a shock she would have been knocked over by his looks. He was studying her in turn and Toria began to feel a blush creep up her cheeks as she watched him slowly taking in her form. She cleared her throat awkwardly and his eyes shot up to her face. She nearly gasped out loud from the intensity of his gold eyes. She began to blush further and stammered out, “Do you know where my bag is? I think it fell through the fade with me.”. Cullen shrugged casually and replied “We took it, I’m afraid we will need to hold onto it for a time. There were some…questionable objects inside.”. Toria nearly kicked herself. Her gun! Of course, they would want to know exactly what that was. Toria sat down wearily on the bed in the room. She began to feel drained, all the adrenalin wearing off. A sharp knock on the door alerted Cullen that the guards and provisions had arrived. He looked back at Toria, “I’m sure someone will be back to talk to you in a few hours’ time. In the meantime, you should eat and rest.”, and with that he left, striding towards what Toria knew was the Chantry hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Toria cracked her eyes open at the sound of a sharp knock at her door. Before she could even sit up, Cassandra and Leliana had made their way inside. A shiver ran down Toria’s spine as she saw what was in Leliana’s hand: her bag. Leliana introduced herself and asked Toria to sit down at the table. She then proceeded to empty the entirety of the bags contents out onto the table in front of Toria. Toria looked over the contents: wallet, keys, phone, mints, chapstick…no gun? She must have dropped it in the snow…or did she leave it in the fade? She felt some relief at this, not having to explain what it was and what it was capable of. Leliana sat down across from Toria. “Alright, explain what this is?”, she asked holding up Toria’s phone. After a moments pause Toria said, “It’s a cell phone, a communications device. But it won’t work here. This world doesn’t have the supporting technology. And it looks as if it’s broken so it wont work anyways.”. Leliana’s elegant eyebrow went up at the word ‘technology’ but said nothing. Toria then proceeded to explain what the other items in her bag were even putting on the chapstick in a show of how it worked. When she offered each of the women a mint, both declined but watched as Toria slipped on onto her tongue. “It’s to freshen your breath.”, she explained. Leliana seemed satisfied after Toria had finished explaining everything in her bag and settled back into her chair while contemplating her. “It would seem like Andraste herself has guided you to us, but for what purpose…well, it has yet to be revealed to us. The Inquisition has decided to let you live and what’s more, stay. You must understand, of course, that we will be keeping an eye on you. For now, rest. The Herald had to leave promptly and won’t return for some time. When she returns, perhaps we will have a better understanding of what you are to us, no?”. Toria slowly nodded her head. Exhaustion crushed down on her. Leliana seemed to pick up on this and stood gracefully saying “Come Cassandra, let us leave our new friend to rest.”. Toria said goodbye gratefully then curled into the bed without a moments hesitation, promising herself to figure things out tomorrow.

The next morning Toria began to pull herself from the comforting bliss of sleep. Slowly stretching, she felt exactly how beat up she got falling and fighting through those portals. She groaned and rolled over to take in her current lodgings. It was cozy, much cozier now that she didn’t feel like a prisoner. She noticed a bath tub and nearly fell over herself getting out of bed to go look at it. “Hmm, just need to fill it with water.”, she thought aloud. She saw a bucket hiding behind it and hastily dressed in her warm clothes and grabbed it on the way out of the cabin. She noticed that the guards that had been posted outside her door where no longer there but she suspected Leliana had eyes on her nonetheless. She shrugged, uncaring and went on her hunt for water. She quickly realized she must be up very early as there weren’t many people out and about, even with the light starting to creep over the snowy trees. She began to head towards the lake, bucket in hand. As she pushed open the front doors of Haven she noticed, again, the huge swirling vortex of green that she now knew was called the breach. As she gazed upwards while still walking she collided with something very hard and very large. She fell backwards into the snow with an oof and looked up, dazed, “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Cul-Commander, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”. Standing tall, Culled looked down at her with a smirk and a twinkle in his golden eyes. He offered her a hand, which she gladly took, and helped her stand. As she stood close to him she realized just how tall and big of a man Culled was. She was fairly tall at 5’ 10” and curvy with her hourglass figure. She was used to being taller or as tall as men but Cullen made her feel small. She felt a deep pull of arousal as she took in his scent and felt the heat he radiated. Blushing she stepped back quickly. “Are you alright?”, Culled asked. “Oh, yes! I’m afraid I can be terribly clumsy at times and am no stranger to bumps and bruises.”, Toria laughed. Cullen smiled gently at her laugh and replied, “Well, I should escort you to wherever you might be going then, as to be sure you don’t hurt yourself again.” Toria felt a spark of excitement at the thought of this handsome man willing to walk with her but then realized he probably just wanted to be sure she wasn’t running off. She smiled happily anyways, she wasn’t going to turn him down. “That would be much appreciated Commander, I was just walking to the lake for some water to draw a bath.” Culled pointed over to a spot near the bank of the lake, “There is a hole there which we use to pull out water, come.” He took the bucket from her hands and began walking. Toria walked alongside him, quietly thinking. This whole situation was so unreal. She felt as if this was all a crazy dream that she needed to wake up from. She frowned realizing that that wasn’t completely true. What did she have to go home to? Her husband was gone, her job wasn’t exactly a thrilling career and she never saw her parent’s either. Sure, her parents would worry when she came up missing, but Toria knew deep down that they would be okay after a time. So really, what was there for her at home? Toria felt surprised at her easy transition. She also realized that the chances of her ever getting home were probably slim to none, so time to suck it up, baby! Cullen stopped short of the waters edge and bent down to fill the bucket. As he stood, Toria reached out her hands to take the bucket from him, “Thank you so much for your help, I can take it from here. I’m sure you have plenty of work to do.” As she smiled up at him, Cullen almost looked hesitant to hand the bucket over but then seemed to think better of it. “Of course, if you ever need anything, I’m usually out front with the tents, training the troops.” he said, looking down at her. Toria thanked him again and began to walk slowly back to the cabin, noting that the soldiers had woken and were beginning to put the armor on in preparation of training. As she got to the doors of Haven, she felt the hairs on her neck rise and looked over her shoulder to see Cullen staring intensely at her. Toria felt a shiver run down her back and looked down, slipping inside the doors.


	5. Chapter 5

After many more buckets of water, and then the agony of waiting for each to heat up over the fire, Toria finally sank back into her warm bath, nearly crying from the comfort of it. She had found some sort of soap in the cabin she was sleeping in, grateful for finding any at all, and washed herself clean. As the tendrils of heat began to relax her aching muscles, Toria closed her eyes and reflected on her predicament. She was stuck here, that she knew. But what she was struggling with was whether to reveal what she knew about the Inquisition or not, as she had played this game many times and could remember many of the details. She knew that because she had fallen through the fade, as Evelyn had, the advisors all expected her to be just as much help. Toria frowned, knowing she wasn’t cursed with that horrible anchor and supposed the only gift she could give this cause was her knowledge of what was to come. She felt uneasy over this task but realized she could do some real good in guiding this noble cause and resolved herself to it. Finishing up the bath, Toria dried herself and dressed herself in her clothes again, grimacing over having to wear her dirty, bloodied clothes again.

After slightly drying her hair in front of the fire, Toria left her cabin and headed towards the Chantry hall. Haven was so much bigger than the game, very much like a small town. As she walked into the Chantry she was struck by the beauty of the hall. It was like an intricately built church, something akin to what you’d see in Europe. As she walked towards what she knew to be Josephine’s office, she took in all the details of the halls. As she approached the door, she knocked lightly. “Come in!”, said a warm accented voice. Toria entered and saw Josephine sitting behind her desk, writing away. Josephine looked up as she approached and smiled at her. Toria was struck by how beautiful and exotic the woman was. “Good morning, Ms.…oh, I realize we don’t know your last name!” Toria smiled and responded with her maiden name, “It’s Cossete. Toria Cossete, but I’d much prefer just Toria if that is acceptable.” “Oh, of course, and please call me Josephine.”, she graciously replied then continued, “So, I’m sure the situation you find yourself in is quite…bizarre, as it is for us. To have not one but two women fall through the fade in our time of need…”, she trails off. “It is suspicious, but the Herald has been such a blessing to this cause. Then to have Andraste herself send us another to help us, well it would seem as if we are meant to succeed here. So, tell me, what do you have to offer the Inquisition?” Toria wasn’t expecting such a blunt question from the woman, but quickly recovered herself. After a moment of silence, she replied “Knowledge. I can offer foresight.” Josephine’s eyebrows shot up. “Truly?” she asked. “That is quite the gift you would be bestowing upon us, but tell me how you have such a gift?” Toria hadn’t thought about how she was going to respond to this question. She looked down at her feet and thought for a moment. “I cannot say, but I can prove myself. If the advisors would be willing to share a small, insignificant piece of information with me I can tell you what might happen.” Josephine sat back in her chair, steepling her fingers while considering this. “I’ll call for a meeting later this evening, we can discuss this then.”, then in a flash Josephine’s manner changed into a happier one, “Is there anything I can do for you?”, she glanced down at Toria’s clothes. “Perhaps some new clothing?” Toria nodded gratefully. “That would be much appreciated Josephine.”

After thanking the woman again and saying goodbye, Toria walked out of the Chantry feeling a bit lighter, happy to be contributing. In about an hour, her new clothes had arrived and Toria put them on. Dark leather pants that fit her snugly and warm thigh high boots with a warm coat trimmed with fur. She instantly felt the difference in warmth and noted that Josephine hadn’t cut costs, it was beautifully made with small details stitched in silver thread around the cuffs. She noticed that Josephine had also kindly left her a small felt purse filled with some coin. Feeling warmer and more confident in her proper clothing, Toria set off on her third task of the day, searching for her missing gun.


	6. Chapter 6

Toria was shin deep in the snow outside of Havens walls searching for the place she had fallen through the fade. She sighed, realizing it was useless. Even if she got remotely close to the area she had fallen, she would never find the small gun under all this fresh snow. A part of her was relieved, knowing that it would never be found. Another part felt vulnerable without if for protection as she relived the horror of the creatures that had hunted her. Lost in the terrible memories of what happened to her she was startled by the sound of someone walking up behind her. She turned around to see Solas walking towards her. She watched him approach, knowing full well who he was. She wasn’t going to reveal him, he was important to the Inquisition after all, but she didn’t want him to know about her either. 

“Hello, there.”, Solas said politely, clasping his hand behind his back. “Good afternoon.”, Toria responded. Solas studied her for a moment before speaking again. “I am sure you are aware I’ve been sent to study you.” Toria sighed and nodded. “I figured it was a matter of time until someone showed up to see if I was a threat or not. I’m not by the way.” Solas laughed at that, a rich deep sound. “I didn’t think you were, but Cassandra can be very suspicious of newcomers. I am curious, however, about how you managed to physically travel through the fade unharmed, and how you managed to escape it.” Toria swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t say I escaped unharmed. There were…terrible things in there. Things that wanted to hurt me…d-demons. They happened upon me so quickly, I didn’t have much time to make sense of anything. I just saw a woman and ran to her as quickly as I possibly could. She’s the one that helped me come here.” Toria squeezed her eyes shut at the memories assaulting her. She took a deep breath, clearing her mind as best she could. Solas stared at her hard. Toria felt as if he was trying to look inside her soul and inwardly cringed at the thought. This man was an expert of the fade, having spent many years inside of it, wandering. After a moment of silence he finally spoke. “And this woman you saw? What did she look like? Did you recognize her?” This time Toria looked at Solas intently, hoping he would be able to help her understand. “She was an older woman, in red and white robes. I did see her before, once in a dream.” Solas brow furrowed at this. “In a dream?” he repeated. He hummed softly and looked at her again, this time in a different way. More of a questioning look, as if he couldn’t quite put his finger on her. Toria thought that she may have excited him, like a little boy breaking open a new puzzle game. “Well, that is most interesting. It would seem as if you were chosen to come here, indeed. I will reflect on this information you have told me. I will gladly report back to Cassandra that you are no demon.” He said, smiling at the last bit. He bid her good day and left, walking lightly. 

Toria let out a breath she didn’t know she held as she watched him walk away. It was nerve wracking talking to that man, especially knowing just who, and what, he was. She rolled her shoulders, feeling the tension had returned. Beginning to feel the cold from the wind that was beginning to pick up she decided that now would be an opportune moment to explore Haven. She made her way back and began to walk through the streets, realizing how big Haven actually was, nothing like the game portrayed it. There were shops and busy people and when she spied the Tavern her stomach grumbled loudly. Toria realized she hadn’t had a bite to eat all day and now the sun was beginning to go down, the chill beginning to set in, and she couldn’t think of a more welcoming place than a warm tavern with food and drinks. She entered the tavern and could see how full it was. 

She spied a table with two chairs in the corner close to the fire open and quickly sat down. Almost the moment she sat the barmaid came and set down a warm mug of spiced ale. “The stew is what were serving tonight, love” the young woman said. Toria nodded gratefully feeling her stomach clench at the thought of food. As she waited, she took a deep gulp of the delicious drink and relaxed back into her chair, looking around. The tavern was full of people gossiping and laughing away. It was a cheery sight and Toria felt her heart lighten. As she continued to take in the sights, she felt a cold breeze lightly dance across her face and looked toward the door. Commander Cullen filled the doorway, looking as imposing and impossibly handsome as ever. Toria felt her heart flip as she watched him close the door and enter, ignoring the troops who hailed him. He looked out across the crowd and as his eyes settled on her, Toria felt like a deer caught in headlights. He walked as if he could part the seas and she supposed he could in his own way as the soldiers in the tavern tripped over themselves to get out of his way. He was just so…commanding. Toria giggled in her head at her bad joke but abruptly sobered as she noticed he was making his way right towards her. “Good evening, may I join you?” Toria felt silly as she stared up at him, “Of course Commander, please sit.” He sat down and leaned back in the chair, completely dwarfing the table. “Cullen. Call me Cullen”, he said his trademark smirk. Toria felt a blush creep up her cheeks, completely helpless to not feel as if she were going to swoon at this handsome warriors’ words. “Then you must call me Toria.” “Toria”, he repeated as if he were feeling it roll off his tongue. They stared at each other a moment, both clearly thinking. Toria could not believe the reaction she was having to this man. Of course, she had a crush on him as she played the game, but it was a game after all! He made her feel hot and restless. It was unnerving. As the barmaid came over with a mug for the Commander, Toria noticed how she openly flirted and tried to catch his attention. But to the barmaid’s dismay Culled continued to stare directly at Toria as if to make a point. Toria blushed harder at the blatant display and at the woman’s dirty look as she flounced away. “Tell me about where you come from, I’d like to hear about it.” Cullen finally said once they had their privacy again. “It’s a place called Earth. It’s a bit more…advanced than this world. But I lived in a small town and worked in a bookshop. It was a peaceful life. I liked it there.” Toria looked down, instinctively knowing what he was going to ask next. “And do you have someone there? Back at your home?” he asked. Toria replied softly “No. I’m a widower. My husband died some time ago. It’s just me.” Cullen sat quietly for a moment, looking at her. “I’m sorry…”, he trailed off. Toria looked at him and felt relieved that he didn’t look at her with pity. She smiled gently at him, “Thank you. As I said, it was some time ago.” She looked at him curiously, “And you, Cullen? Do you have anyone waiting for you?” Cullen looked at her seriously. At that moment the stew arrived and Toria felt the moment slip away. She didn’t mind as she was starving and the stew smelled delicious. She greedily dug in and moaned blissfully at the flavors. As she finished the bowl and sat back she saw Cullen was watching her. He had that smirk on his face and had such a look of satisfaction that Toria immediately began to feel her cheeks heat. “I’m so sorry for my bad manners, I was so hungry.” She said, embarrassedly. Cullen laughed, deep and rumbly. “It was a sight to see”, he teased. She laughed and sighed contentedly. They sat in silence as Cullen finished his stew and her, her ale. Afterwards they paid and stood to leave. “May I walk you back to your quarters, Toria?” he asked. Toria smiled warmly at him and accepted. As they walked along the freezing path to her cabin Cullen asked her more about herself and her family. She told him of her parents and her sweet little cottage in the woods that she loved so. He told her some of his own family, his older sister Mia, and how she used to beat him in chess. Toria laughed and felt comfort in his sharing. As they approached her door, Toria felt a sudden spike of nervousness. Cullen looked down at her, his smirk ever present. “Thank you for walking me back, Cullen. I enjoyed our evening together.” She said sweetly. Cullen looked suddenly serious, and reached his hand up to her face. Toria stood still and breathless, waiting to see what would happen, curiosity eating at her. He slowly brushed a gloved finger across her full bottom lip. Toria felt arousal beginning to pool between her legs and her eyelids felt heavy. Cullen dipped his head and slowly brushed his lips against hers. It was a shock at first but Toria felt the tidal wave of arousal hit her and felt as if she were going to burn alive. She tilted her head slightly and Cullen deepened the kiss. They both groaned and Toria threaded her fingers into the heavy fur on his mantle. Somewhere far away in the hazy distance, Toria heard drunken laughing and shouts. Knowing she would kick herself later she pulled away. Cullen stood straight with a slight blush spreading across his cheeks. Toria was completely charmed. This god of a man was blushing after kissing her. She couldn’t help the big smile that spread on her face. The group of happy drunks rounded the corner and Toria watched the blushing man in front of her transform into ‘The Commander’. While disappointed to see the transformation, she understood. He had an image to maintain. Cullen looked down at her and grasped her hand, softly bringing it up to his lips. “Good night, Toria.” “Good night, Cullen.” Toria replied and slipped inside the cabin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More chapters coming soon! Stay with me! :)

Toria sat in her cabin, dazed, touching her swollen lips. As the stared into the fire, watching it burning up a log, she reflected on her evening so far. The thought of Cullen kissing her was enough to bring the rush of arousal back. She sighed deeply feeling a need to ground herself. She knew she still had a meeting this evening. It sent a completely different wave of butterflies soaring through her stomach. She knew she had made the right decision to help the Inquisition, it was the waiting that drove her towards madness. The unknown. As if on cue, Toria heard a sharp knock on her door. She rose, taking a steadying breath before heading towards the door. She opened it and peered out and saw Cassandra herself, come to fetch her. “Good evening Cassandra. Are you ready for me?” Cassandra, noticeably less agitated towards her nodded solemnly.

As Toria walked back towards the Chantry with Cassandra, she could feel the woman watching her. Once inside the Chantry, they walked to the very back room, the war room. Inside there was Leliana and Josephine already waiting. Leliana politely greeted Toria while Josephine was a bit warmer. “Good evening Toria!” She said with a bright smile. Toria felt herself smile back in response and felt herself relax a fraction. Cassandra was first to speak. “Josephine has informed us of what you talked about. We’ve decided to let you try to prove yourself. The Herald has secured an alliance with the Templars and will be here in a few hours’ time. We would like you to enlighten us as to how this will turn out.” Toria felt the blood drain from her face and gripped the edge of the table. “What?! You mean she’s already secured the alliance? Oh, oh no. I hadn’t considered we were so far along. Oh, my god!” Josephine, eye’s wide, looked alarmed. “What is it? Did the Herald choose poorly?”, she asked. Toria looked at her and said, stark faced, “There is no time, he is coming. We must prepare! Grab supplies and get the people inside the Chantry!” Leliana’s eyes narrowed, focused on Toria’s face. “Who is coming?” she asked sharply. Toria replied, “There is no time to explain. You asked me to prove myself, here is your proof! Do as I say, and you will see I speak truthfully. Please.” Leliana looked carefully at Toria’s face, noting the desperation etched there. She looked at Cassandra and nodded subtly. Cassandra looked at Toria. “What would you have us do?”

After telling Cassandra to recalibrate the trebuchets and informing Leliana and Josephine to bring all the people inside of the Chantry and to gather supplies suited for a long journey, Toria hurried out to her cabin to gather supplies herself. The hours passed quickly and through the commotion and panic, Toria realized morning had already come. As she packed and gathered materials for the upcoming journey, she heard the incoming horn of the Herald returning. As she looked outside her door, she saw Cassandra confront Evelyn along with Cullen. She could see Cullen directing the troops and pointing at the trebuchets. She watched the confusion pass across Evelyn’s face then saw as Evelyn looked over to her, questioningly. After a moment’s hesitation, Toria watched as the woman dashed off with her entourage towards the gates of Haven to protect the people. Not even an hour later, Toria heard the horn blast again. They were here. Toria swallowed hard and began to hurry towards the Chantry to drop her supplies off. She remembered that there would be civilians trapped in homes and knew she had to help. Evelyn had so much on her plate, protecting Haven and it’s people as best she could. After dropping her bag inside, she darted back out and headed towards the tavern. Nothing was on fire yet, nor were the mages inside the gates. Toria saw those who would be trapped and yelled at them to get inside the Chantry, NOW. By the grace of Andraste, they listened and hurried towards the safety of the Chantry walls. Toria began to run towards the front gates of Haven, remembering that a burning house would trap a man inside there. By the time she could see it, the house was already on fire. Toria ducked her chin and pushed herself to run harder. As she reached the home, she saw the door blocked completely. She saw the ladder on the side of the home and grabbed onto it without a thought, pulling herself up and over the house wall, ignoring the heat of the burning wood on her palms. She saw the man lying on the floor, struggling to get the fallen log off his legs. She coughed and covered her face from the smoke and dashed over to the man. The log was on fire and as she got close enough to grasp it, a scream wretched from her lips as she thoroughly scorched her hands. Ignoring the pain and pulling up on the log she managed to move it just enough for the man to roll out from under it. As they both escaped from the house, Toria kneeled over to catch a breath of fresh air. As she stood again, she saw with horror that the mages had made it over Havens walls. She stood frozen, not knowing where to run to. They were everywhere. And they had spotted her. As the mages advanced upon Toria, she heard a roar and looked over to see Cullen leading a group of soldiers running towards the mages. The mages turned to fight with group but were quickly overcome. As Toria stood stock still in fright, she watched as Cullen fought ferociously and she understood how he earned the comparison of a lion. He was magnificent and fast, striking down with his shield then just as fast, cutting down with his sword. As Cullen cut down the last mage, he turned towards Toria and yelled “Get inside to safety! Go, now!” Toria nodded and turned to run towards the hall, the way now open to her. As she made her way inside the Chantry, Toria grabbed her bag and ran into Josephine. Josephine didn’t say a word, just grasped Toria’s arm in a fleeting moment and then she was gone. Toria quickly began to help anyone who was injured and passed out potions she had collected in her bag. She realized that by giving everyone a few extra hours of notice, they were remarkably better equipped for the upcoming journey. Soon afterwards, Evelyn entered with her group with Cullen and Cassandra. She watched as the group exchanged words and knew that Evelyn was sacrificing herself to save the people of Haven. Before Evelyn turned to leave, Toria noticed her and Cullen have a private exchange and noticed the tenseness. Before she could think more of it, Toria was swept into the chaotic mess of readying to leave. Soon she found herself walking in a long line of people, leaving the Chantry behind and onward into the snowy blizzard.


	8. Chapter 8

After walking for what felt like the longest day of her life, the people of Haven finally stopped to make a makeshift camp. As Toria set up her tent and settled in as best she could, she kept an eye out for one of the advisers. Eventually she saw Cassandra stomping her way through, shouting orders. Toria hurried over to the woman, calling out her name. “Cassandra! Cassandra, a moment please.” Cassandra stopped and looked over to Toria. “Toria! Gods, you made it. You were right…” Toria interrupted, “Please Cassandra, listen to me. The Herald is alive. If you just walk over to that old ruin behind us, you will find her! She needs you.” Cassandras face showed various emotions, relief, happiness and finally determination. “Thank you, Toria. Thank you, for everything.” And with that she turned, calling for Cullen to join her and they took off towards the ruins Toria pointed to. Not an hour later, they returned with Cullen carrying the Herald in his arms. They rushed her into the healer’s tent and Cassandra emerged from it a moment later. Toria walked over to the tent and saw Cullen crouched near the Heralds cot, praying. Toria turned from the tent, feeling relief at Evelyn being brought back safely. As she made her way back to her tent, feeling the exhaustion settling down on her, she saw Josephine pacing outside tent flaps. As Toria was spotted by the woman, Josephine rushed over and grabbed her hands. “Toria! You were right! I cannot believe it, thank you…” Josephine trailed off as she saw Toria wincing. Josephine turned her hands over and gasped, “You’re burnt!” Toria grimaced. “Yes, I was lifting a burning log off a man. In all the commotion I forgot to heal myself.” Josephine slipped a small bottle out of her jacket and into Toria’s hand. “Elfroot, it’ll help.” Toria thanked her and knocked the bottle back in one go. It was herby and slightly minty, not bad at all. Toria looked down at her hands and saw that they healed before her eyes. As she felt the pain ebb away she felt that much more tired. Josephine hugged her suddenly and Toria returned the embrace, feeling as if she had earned a true friend. Josephine was eventually pulled away by something and Toria was alone again. She was grateful as she needed to rest, she had been awake for what felt like forever. As she settled into her cot, she realized happily that it felt as if her legs had been healed by the elfroot as well. She fell asleep almost instantly, falling into the ignorant bliss.

_Green, mist._ Was this the fade? It was so different from before. It was so calm and peaceful here. Toria looked around. Was she dreaming? How did she get here? As she slowly looked around, she saw a figure emerge from the mist. Solas? He slowly walked up to her, hands clasped behind his back. “Good evening, Toria.” Toria swallowed hard. Solas had brought her to the fade. “Solas? Why am I here?” Solas looked at her, smiling. “I must admit, I find you intriguing. You’ve been pulled here from a different world. I cannot help but wonder why.” Toria felt a small spark of anger. “I am not sure how many times I have to say it. I do now know why I was brought here.” Solas looked at her closely. “Yet, you come armed with knowledge of the future. It’s almost too perfect.” Toria realized what he was really asking. Did she know about him? Toria could have laughed, Solas was frightened of her! “I only know small snippets…and they come to me just before it’s to happen.” She lied. Solas appraised her. Seeming to be satisfied with her answer he continued. “I suppose we won’t truly know why you have this information of the things to come. I am glad you are using it to help this cause, it is worthy.” And with that, all faded to black and Toria returned to the bliss of sleep. The next morning the camp was packing up, preparing to move on. The Herald was already healed and off scouting for a safe place to bring the people. The woman’s endurance was incredible. The camp began to walk in procession again and finally they came upon the high walls of Skyhold. Toria could feel the change in the people as they saw their new home. It infused the group with hope and confidence and Toria felt it too. As she made her way inside the castle walls, Toria felt a tug on her arm and turned to see Josephine and smiled warmly at the woman. “Toria, come with me, I have a room ready for you.” As Toria marveled at the efficiency of the woman and the beauty of the castle, she was brought to a room inside the castle. It was large, and remarkably well preserved. A bit dusty but could easily by fixed up. Toria smiled gratefully and thanked the woman profusely. Josephine left shortly after settling Toria in, and then she was alone. Toria stood in the empty room for a moment, soaking in the silence. One easily forgets how comforting quiet can be, especially after traveling with such a large group of people and animals. After dusting as best she could and putting clean blankets down on the bed, Toria settled in for a long nap.


	9. Chapter 9

When she woke some hours later, darkness was just beginning to fall. Toria decided to try and find a place to grab some food and left her room. As she walked the battlements, she spied what had to be a tavern guessing by the shouts and singing coming from it. Toria laughed to herself, shaking her head. Of course, a tavern would be the first thing to pop up. As she began to make her way towards it, she came to a door blocking her path. She opened it without a thought and walked right into Commander Cullen’s rooms. Cullen glanced over at her standing in the doorway. He didn’t smile. Toria began to feel stupider by the moment. “Cullen! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was in here. I was just trying to get to the tavern.” Cullen walked up to her and shut the door behind her. Toria noticed a muscle twitching in his jaw. He looked at her with anger flashing in his eyes. “What were you thinking? Standing in the middle of a battle? Were you trying to get yourself killed?” he yelled. Toria stood there a moment with her mouth open, gaping like a fish. He was yelling at her? After a moment, Toria’s own anger caught up with her. She snapped her mouth closed and shot back, “I was trying to help people! There was a man caught under a burning log and I helped him! That’s what I was doing!”, she yelled back. Cullen clearly wasn’t used to anyone yelling back at him and was getting angrier with every breath. As they stood toe to toe, neither one backing down in their anger, Cullen grabbed Toria’s face and brought his lips down on hers in a crushing, possessive kiss. Toria responded immediately opening her mouth to accept him. As his tongue slid into her mouth, they both groaned. Cullen slid his hands down her back, then picked her up, pushing her into the door behind them. As he pressed his body into hers, Toria felt a desperate need. Too many clothes, too much separating them. She wiggled in his arms, feeling suddenly impatient. Cullen broke off this kiss, leaning back to look at her. “Up the ladder, now.” He growled.

Toria climbed the ladder as fast as she could, Cullen at her heels. As soon as Cullen made it up the ladder, Toria was in his arms again. Desperately, they tore at each other’s clothes. Unfortunately for Toria, she was not proficient in removing armor and made a noise of frustration. Cullen quickly removed it for her, both feeling the emptiness of not having each other in their arms. As soon as he was free, he was upon her in an instant. Toria, still angry, felt the need to have the upper hand. She pushed as hard as she could to have him sit on the bed and climbed on top of him. Cullen slipped his hands around her backside, delving his fingers into her from behind. Feeling the wetness between her legs, he groaned and kissed her harder. Toria could feel his rather large erection pressed between them and lifted herself to settle down upon him. Unfortunately, Cullen was much larger than expected and Toria hadn’t slept with anyone in some time. Feeling the tightness of her, barely able to accept the head of his cock, Toria struggled to get more of him inside. Cullen impatiently nipped at her neck, biting harder and harder as Toria wriggled her hips in a vain attempt to accept more. Finally, Cullen lost his patience and flipped her onto her back. Taking her wrists, he pinned them over her head in one hand and with the other angled her hips up. Slowly he pushed more and more of himself into her. Toria felt herself stretch to accommodate his large size, feeling pain too. As Cullen seated himself as far as he could possibly go, Toria’s arousal swiftly doubled as she felt her body relaxing around him. Both panting, Cullen started to rock inside of her, harder and harder. Moaning desperately, arms still pinned over her head, Toria rolled her hips trying to take more and more. As she felt the pull of her orgasm crash upon her, she screamed out. Cullen not being able to withstand her rippling orgasm, spilled inside her, roaring. Cullen remained inside her, not wanting to leave her heat just yet. Both panting, he languidly kissed her. After some time he rolled off of her and pulled her into his side. Toria curled into him, beginning to process what she had just done.

She just slept with Cullen Rutherford. Oh, god, she forgot to use protection! Did they even have protection here? As Toria was silently freaking out in her head, she didn’t notice Cullen staring at her. Cullen reached out a hand to turn her head towards him. Toria’s thoughts fell quiet as she found herself trapped in his golden gaze. “You frightened me, out in the middle of all that fighting” he said quietly. Toria felt her previous anger fall away. She sighed “I’m sorry Cullen, I was just trying to help.” He kissed her gently, and Toria felt her heart squeeze at his gentle admission. As they fell silent again, Toria felt her stomach rumble. Feeling ravenous, Toria asked Cullen if he had eaten yet. He shook his head and replied no. “I’ll just run and grab us some food then.” Cullen warned her that the tavern was busy, but Toria replied that she would get some anyways and bring it back here. Cullen nodded running his hand over his face, “I suppose I could finish some work while I wait for your return.” After dressing, Cullen kissed her again, sweetly and slowly, as if he wasn’t ready to let her leave yet.

Toria slipped out the door and headed towards the tavern, the fresh air helping her clear her mind. What had she just done? They hardly knew each other and here she was, sleeping with the man! Yes, she knew of him from the game. Yes, she had an impossibly strong reaction to the man, but that was hardly the grounds to start any sort of relationship on! Toria snorted at herself. Who said he even wanted a relationship? Toria sighed inwardly. She was hardly in a position for a relationship anyways. She just showed up in a foreign world, for heaven’s sake! She needed to get a grip, maybe some casual sex is just what she needed. Yes, a stress release. Toria set off to the tavern feeling easier about what had just happened. The tavern was indeed busy and Toria ordered her food and drinks. After waiting what had to be 40 minutes, the food finally arrived. Toria took the tray and began the walk back to Cullen’s rooms. As she got closer, she saw the door was cracked and could hear voices coming from within. Toria recognized Cullen’s voice and the voice of a woman, Evelyn. “Cullen, I care for you…” Toria pushed into the room, carrying the tray of food and drink. She saw Evelyn standing close to Cullen a hand on his face as she admitted her care for him. Toria felt her insides freeze over. Cullen and Evelyn both looked over as she entered the room. Evelyn’s hand dropped away from his face, while Cullen looked at her with panic. “Sorry to interrupt, _Commander_ ” Toria said tightly. She dropped the tray on a nearby table and turned to leave, feeling very much like the third wheel. She thought she heard Cullen call after her but choose to keep walking, head held high.


	10. Chapter 10

Toria was furious. What a _tool_! Obviously, she needed to get drunk, pronto. She marched off back towards the tavern. As she entered, she saw a rather large table, empty for the time being. She sat down and ordered an ale. “The biggest one you have!” she yelled after the barmaid. “Now that’s a good lass!” exclaimed a booming voice. Toria looked up to see a massive creature with horns protruding from his head. “Names, Bull. Iron Bull. Mind if my crew here joins you?” Toria nodded, glad for the distraction. Bull sat down heavily and looked her up and down. “Now what’s a pretty thing like you needing a large ale for?” he asked, his one eye twinkling mischievously.

Toria laughed bitterly and replied “Man problems.”

Bull laughed heartily. “No better reason to drink then!” He yelled for ale for himself and his crew. Soon Toria found herself enraptured in Bulls tales and found herself thoroughly distracted.

“Well, well, well. Drinking without me, Bull? And who is this divine little creature?” said a voice. Toria looked up at a handsome and exceedingly well-groomed man. Dorian. As Dorian sat down next to Toria, she couldn’t help but notice the affectionate glances Dorian and Bull gave each other. _Adoribull_ , Toria laughed drunkenly in her head. As Toria was caught up in more stories from both Dorian and Bull she realized that the tavern got suddenly quieter and that soldiers were tripping over themselves to stand at attention. Toria hunched down, knowing just who entered the tavern.

“Well, thanks for the wonderful evening boys, but I must retire!” Toria said.

Dorian eyed her curiously and glanced at Cullen walking through the tavern, a naughty smile turning up his lips. “Leaving so soon?” he replied mischievously. Toria hurriedly said her goodbyes and slipped out of the tavern unnoticed.

As she booked it back to her room, she felt her anger returning. She entered her room and slid under the blankets of her bed. “I am such a fool.” she thought as she slipped into sleep.

The next morning Toria opened her eyes open blearily, instantly regretting drinking so much. As she bathed herself and put on a simple and warm blue dress she exited her room and promptly ran into Josephine. “Oh Josephine! You startled me! Are you alright?” Toria exclaimed. Josephine replied that she was fine and excitedly told Toria of a meeting in half an hour.

“There is breakfast in the hall downstairs, please join us in the war room directly after.” Josephine said warmly at Toria and then left.

Toria made her way down to breakfast and grabbed a biscuit with some fruit. She nibbled on it and walked slowly to the war room. As she brushed the crumbs from her hands she heard voices coming from the room and pushed her way inside. Leliana, Cassandra, Evelyn, Josephine and Cullen were all inside. Toria avoided Cullen’s gaze but felt his intense stare. She looked over to Evelyn and noticed that Evelyn was looking between her and Cullen. Toria began to feel nervous. _Great, that can’t be good, I’m between the Inquisitor and Cullen,_ she thought to herself. Toria had a sudden thought, what if she had disturbed the relationship budding between the two of them. Toria nearly groaned aloud, remembering that Cullen had never answered her as to whether there was someone waiting for him. _You’re the other woman, stupid!_ , she thought. Toria avoided both their gazes and looked to Josephine.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Toria. The inquisition would like to formally invite you to be an advisor. Obviously, after everything that has occurred, we believe you have the foresight to truly help the Inquisition and after the way you helped Haven, we realize we could have no better advisor than one that could steer us on the best path.” Josephine said. Toria looked up at Leliana and Cassandra, and they encouragingly nodded back at her.

“I would be honored.” Toria replied simply and Josephine broke out in a smile.

“Wonderful!” Josephine exclaimed. Soon the team of advisors began to fill Toria in on the current situation. Cassandra heatedly exclaimed that Hawke had been found and informed the Inquisition of the Wardens.

Evelyn looked to Toria, all business. “What do you suggest our next step be?” she asked.

Toria thought for a moment, trying to remember. “You need to go to Crestwood, find a man named Stroud...”, Toria said as she explained vague details of Crestwood, castle, dragon and village there. “…and once that’s all finished you should return here.”, she finished.

The meeting soon finished up and Evelyn promptly left to prepare to leave for Crestwood. As the rest of the advisors began to shuffle out, Toria felt a hand grip her arm. “A moment…please.”, Cullen said. Toria felt a blush begin to creep up her cheeks but obliged. Cullen shut the door behind a curious Leliana and leaned back against it looking at Toria somberly. “I’d like to explain.”, he said.

“Please do, Commander.” Toria responded.

Cullen winced at the sound of his title and responded, “Call me Cullen, please. Look, Evelyn-ah I mean, the Inquisitor, we did have…something. A flirtation. For a time. Nothing physical.”, he quickly added.

Toria looked down at the floor, wanting to fall through it. Talking about Cullen with another woman was wholly uncomfortable, considering the way she felt about him. “Cullen, I don’t fault you for having a relationship with another woman. I am just confused as to how you thought it appropriate to sleep with me when you clearly still have an ongoing relationship, with the _Herald_!” Toria said, beginning to feel angry at the situation this man had put her in.

Cullen’s demeanor changed from sheepish to fierce. “Evelyn and I do _not_ have a relationship. That’s what I am trying to say! There is nothing between us!”, he said heatedly. Toria felt her frustration rising.

“Well it sure didn’t look that way last night!”, she exclaimed, hearing how jealous she sounded. Cullen pushed off the door and came toe to toe with Toria looking down at her with a predatory gaze. Toria craned her neck up to look at him, wanting very much to take a step back but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

“I want you, Toria. You…you are the one I want to have a relationship with.” He said smoothly in his deep voice. Toria could feel her core go molten at his words and at the way his scent filled her, damn her treacherous body for responding so easily! Seeming to pick up on her wavering, Cullen dipped his head to speak next to her ear, “I know you want to be with me too, Toria.” Toria shivered at that, knowing Cullen had won. She tilted her head back and let Cullen capture her mouth. He threaded his hands through her long hair, to better claim her mouth. Toria wound her arms around his neck, desperately pushing herself into him. He backed her up until her thighs hit the war table, then picked her up and placed her on top of it. Whimpering with need, Toria felt him yank the bottom of her dress up then watched him releasing his cock from his leathers. Cullen lined himself up at her entrance then placed his hands on her hips and pulled her roughly down on his swollen cock. Toria felt her body clench down on the intrusion and cried out loudly, reveling at the perfect fit of it. Cullen groaned into her mouth, then ran his hand down her chest slowly pushing her back onto the table. Toria fell back and wrapped her legs around his waist. As Toria gave into the rhythm of Cullen moving inside of her she looked up at him from under her lashes. He was looking down at her with such possession, it made her feel wanton with desire. Feeling her orgasm beginning to climb, Toria began to moan louder, begging him to keep going. Cullen moved faster and harder within her, almost seeming as if he was trying to claim her with his body, desperate to do so. Toria gave in to her rising orgasm, yelling out her release with Cullen following shortly after. Cullen collapsed on top of her, and Toria ran her fingers through his hair, delighting in the way it curled around her fingertips. They stayed this way for a moment, catching their breath. Eventually, Cullen pulled away from her, adjusting himself into his pants. He grasped Toria’s hand and pulled her up to stand. Toria brushed her dress down, then looked up shyly at Cullen. He gently took her face and kissed her deeply.

“We should probably talk…would you have dinner with me tonight? In my rooms?” Toria asked.

Cullen nodded. “I’ll come after I’m done with my reports this evening.”, he replied. He sighed heavily closing his eyes and resting his forehead upon hers. “I have to get back to work.”, he said.

Toria nodded, knowing his duties rested heavy on his shoulders. “Tonight then.“ she said. After kissing her one last time, Cullen left the war room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More chapters coming soon!


	11. Chapter 11

After Toria made her way back to her rooms, she slowly began to clean herself up after the rigorous love making Cullen and her had just made. After wiping herself clean, Toria noticed his scent still lingered on her skin. She groaned and fell back onto her bed. What was happening to her? Did she lose her willpower on her way through the fade? She sat up, determined to cleanse herself of Cullen’s scent. She ran herself a bath perfumed with lavender oils and set to gently scrubbing her skin. As she finished, she leaned back in the tub and rubbed her temples. What was she even doing with Cullen? They were closer to being strangers than anything else and yet he was acting as if she was his, prowling around growling at her and she’s been mewling back at him like a damn cat in heat! Toria splashed the water in frustration. This could not continue, Toria needed to get her head out of the clouds, her feet on the ground and she was never going to accomplish that chasing after Cullen Rutherford. She had to establish herself or else she would be left with nothing once the Inquisition got what they needed from her and once Cullen lost interest in her and pursued someone more appropriate, like Evelyn. Cullen and Evelyn looked like a fairy tale come to life, Toria admitted to herself, the handsome warrior and beautiful savior. _Perfect_. Toria ignored the jealously that streaked through her and shook her head not wanting to think anymore about it.

Once Toria was finished bathing she returned to Josephine’s office and helped to write out missives. She tried to ignore Josephine’s curious glances, knowing full well that the woman was probably dying to ask her about Cullen. After many attempts of Josephine hinting heavily at conversations headed towards relationships and such, Toria finally threw her hands up in surrender.

“Just ask, Josephine!” Toria exclaimed.

Josephine sat back in her chair, with her hand over her heart, mock shock on her face. “What ever are you talking about, Toria?” she asked.

Toria rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Oh, alright! So you…and the Commander?” she asked, a sly smile spreading on her face.

“There is no me and the Commander.” Toria mumbled. “We just…found comfort in each other for a short time.”

“Oh yes…comfort,” Josephine mused. “That was definitely the soothing sounds of comfort I heard from down the hall this morning.”

Toria fiercely blushed, not realizing that Josephine had heard her and Cullen earlier. “That was the last time, I swear.” Toria said.

Josephine frowned at her, “Why do you resist him, Toria?”

“I’m not what he needs, and I’m not sure what I need yet.” Toria said. Toria set down the pen she was holding and put her head in her hands. “I just need to find my place, Josephine. I can’t tie myself to a man and hope he will work it all out for me.”

Josephine gently took one of Toria’s hands into her own. “Perhaps your place is by his side? Cullen is a good man and if he thinks you’re what he needs, who are you to say you’re not?”

Toria felt frustration welling up inside her chest. “Josephine! I would have thought that you of all people would understand me! I refuse to be a damsel in distress, hoping some knight in shining armor will rescue me.” Toria cringed, noting that Cullen was _exactly_ a knight in shining armor.

Josephine sat back and gently sighed at Toria. “Don’t you know what you are to this Inquisition?  Don’t you realize that you’re the one doing the rescuing? You’re placing us on the right path so that we can save the whole world!”

Toria let Josephine’s words sink in, feeling for the first time the weight of her mission. She had just been thinking of it like a game still, but there was no pause button, no save game. “And then what? What happens after, Josephine? What of the future? What happens if I don’t see anything beyond this war?” Toria asked, knowing full well she didn’t know anything beyond the end credits of the game.

Josephine smiled warmly at Toria. “By then you’ll be a seasoned adviser and will continue working with me, if you wish.”

Toria looked up at Josephine, hope brimming in her eyes. “Do you really mean that?”

“Of course, Toria. We are friends after all, and us women must stick together if we wish to take over the world.” She jokingly added, a twinkle in her eye.

Toria felt her tensions begin to relax as she envisioned a more solid future. As she returned to writing missives, her mind wandered back to Cullen. What if she was meant to be with Cullen? She knew exactly how to support him through his lyrium addiction and damn if he wasn’t exactly the type of man Toria could build a life with. Now that she had secured a more sustainable life for herself, what was to keep her from taking a chance? If it fell through, she had a plan. With a shiver of excitement Toria freed herself from anymore reservations about Cullen. If she was going to give it a chance, she was going to give it her all. She smiled wickedly. Cullen would never know what hit him. 


	12. Chapter 12

A few more hours of writing missives went by and finally Toria finished. She went to the kitchens to ask the cook to prepare two dinners and have them brought up, then returned to her room. After lighting several candles and pulling a dining table in front of the fireplace, Toria felt satisfied. She picked one of her nicer dresses, green silk, loving the way it slid against her skin. It had a deep neckline, more than hinting at Toria’s ample cleavage. She didn’t even bother with underwear as she had an idea of where this night was heading. As she attempted to check her reflection in the small tarnished mirror on her desk, Toria felt satisfied if not even a little sexy.

She heard a loud knock at the door and Toria felt her heart jump and her breath catch in her throat. As excitement thrummed through her, she opened the door and saw Cullen on the other side. He was freshly bathed, his hair still a little damp and wearing simple leather pants and cotton tunic. So handsome. Toria smiled sweetly at him.

“Cullen, please come in.” she said. He walked in, standing tall but Toria could sense his nervousness. She was encouraged by this, knowing he felt something for her, enough to be nervous. As she shut the door behind him, she turned to look at him, but he was already upon her, kissing her ravenously and pushing her against the door. She sighed happily, letting him have his way with her. As his kiss slowly turned less desperate, they finally broke apart and he rested his forearms on either side of his head, boxing her in. He smiled down at her, the same charming blush spreading across his face as the night they first kissed. Toria felt her heart thumping hard in her chest.

“I missed you.” Cullen murmured.

Toria pressed her hands into the wood of the door behind her, so that she wouldn’t grab Cullen and drag him to the floor to have her way with him. She wanted this night to be perfect. “I missed you too, Cullen.” She replied.

Cullen’s eyes darkened into a deep burnished gold as she whispered his name and Toria felt her insides go molten. As she stared into his eyes, warring within herself to take this night slow, a sudden rap at the door made them both jump. Toria moved away from the door and Cullen yanked it open, clearly not happy at being interrupted. A young man holding a tray of the dinner Toria had ordered stood on the other side of the door, staring up at Cullen with fear on his face as Cullen stared the man down. Toria pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing at the poor young man. Cullen finally let the young man inside, and the he rushed to the table to set the tray down. After one last terrified glance at the Commander, he rushed out the door, quickly shutting it behind him.

“Why Commander, I think you made that poor young man wet himself.” Toria giggled. Cullen sheepishly looked at Toria and let himself laugh. Toria pointed to the table and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Cullen nodded slowly and deliberately at Toria and she felt a shiver run down her spine, but he pulled a chair out for her at the table. As they sat down together, Toria poured ale for them both then looked at Cullen, hoping to learn more about him. “What do you enjoy, Cullen?” she asked.

Cullen began to tell her of himself, how he loved dogs and hoped to some day have a family. Toria watched in fascination as he spoke of family and saw his eyes darken as he looked at her.

“And you, Toria? Do you wish for a family someday?” Cullen asked, looking over at her from behind his goblet of ale.

Toria felt herself warm at the thought and smiled. “Oh yes, definitely. I want a big family, with all the craziness included. And at least two dogs!” She added with a laugh. Her smile slowly faded as she looked up at Cullen. He was staring at her so intently, gripping his cup hard.

Toria felt her breath quicken and her heart begin to pound in her chest. Knowing that the time for talking was over, Toria slowly stood up. Cullen stayed seated, watching her with his darkened gaze. Toria slowly walked over to stand in front of Cullen and reached up to pull the dress slowly off her shoulders until it slipped off her body and pooled on the floor. He slowly took in her naked form, still seated. Toria felt a blush creep across her face but didn’t stop. Never taking her eyes from his, she took the cup from his hand and set it on the table. Slowly, she straddled his lap, seated firmly on top of him. She could feel him hard and pressed against her heat and gently rolled her hips against him, making herself softly moan. Cullen grasped her hips and pulled her harder against himself, making her moan louder. He slid one hand into her hair and pulled her head back exposing her neck and arching her back, pushing her breasts into his chest. He leaned forward to slowly kiss her neck. Toria shivered at the sensation of his clothes brushing against her nipples and gripped his broad shoulders. She rolled her hips again, and Cullen nipped her neck in response. Cullen kissed his way down to Toria’s breasts and slowly swirled his tongue around one nipple, making Toria squirm and squeeze her eyes shut at the intense pleasure.

Toria felt Cullen reach down between them and slowly begin to stroke her between her legs. She cried out at the intense pleasure and rolled her hips in response. Cullen growled his approval and continued to stroke her while kissing his way up Toria’s neck and jaw, finally pulling her face down to kiss her deeply, tangling her tongue with his own. Toria felt herself coming close and began to whimper into Cullen’s mouth. He stroked her harder, kissing her deeper. Suddenly, Toria arched her back sharply, crying out at her release. Cullen was relentless, continuing to stroke her, making Toria scream in response. Finally, he released her, and Toria slumped forward, falling into the space between Cullen’s neck and shoulder. She still felt hunger coursing through her and bit his neck hard. Cullen grunted and his hips surged into hers. He gripped her hips and pulled her down onto his own. Toria felt desperate, wanting Cullen’s clothes to disappear.

It seemed Cullen had reached the end of his own patience and picked Toria up and walked her over to the bed, dropping her onto the covers. Toria looked up at him from heavy lidded eyes, writhing on the bed. Stripping himself of clothes, Cullen quickly covered Toria with his body, settling between her thighs. Toria was nearly mad with desire, needing to have Cullen inside of her. She felt him pushing inside of her slowly, and nearly cried with relief. As he seated himself as far as he could go, Toria looked up at him feeling overwhelmed with emotion. Cullen kissed her deeply, beginning to move within her. As he pushed her higher and higher towards another orgasm, Toria clung to Cullen. He moved against her harder, tearing moans from her lips. Toria was dimly aware the whole bed was shaking and banging against the wall but couldn’t bring herself to care. Another release was suddenly upon her and Toria screamed out, arching against him. Cullen, not able to withstand Toria’s rippling pull followed shortly after, yelling out her name. Sweat mingling and both feeling vulnerable, they clung to each other, kissing each other gently. Cullen looked down at her, brushing her hair away from her forehead.

“Toria…”he started, but couldn’t seem to finish his sentence.

“What is it, Cullen?” Toria asked, searching his face.

Cullen looked deeply in her eyes, seeming to struggle to find the words. Determination flashed across his face and he furrowed his brow, becoming serious. “Toria, I love you.” He said.

Toria looked up at him, shocked.

“I don’t expect you to say it back,” he rushed out, “I just wanted you to know. I know it’s soon, but I can’t help the feelings I’m having towards you.” He kissed her, as if to seal his declaration to her.

Toria kissed him back, silently thanking him for his words but not ready to say them herself. Cullen rolled over and tucked her securely into his side, and after a silent moment of them snuggled together, they both fell into blissful sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Toria stirred and slowly opened her eyes. It was still dark. She looked around confused as to why she was awake when she heard Cullen moaning in his sleep. She reached over to him and gasped aloud when she felt how hot his skin was. He was burning up! Cullen’s lyrium addiction, he must have already stopped taking it. She rolled out of bed to the bowl of clean water on her stand. She soaked a cloth, wringed it out and returned to Cullen’s side. She gently lifted his head and placed it on the back of his neck. He moaned again in his sleep, making Toria’s heart clench for him. Toria looked down at him, feeling helpless in the moment, gently stroking his hair. Toria saw Cullen open his eyes and look at her. As he realized what was happening, his eyes filled with shame.

“I’m sorry, Toria. I didn’t mean for you to see this. I thought I would have more time before the effects of withdraw began.” He said, sitting up and moving to the side of the bed.

Toria draped her arms around him, holding him close. “Cullen, you don’t need to apologize. I think what you are doing is incredibly brave.”

Cullen bit out a laugh. “Or incredibly stupid.” he ground out.

Toria sighed and grasped his face, forcing him to look at her. “Cullen, you are brave. And I think you’ve made the right choice, to make a better life for yourself.” She kissed him gently on his lips.

Cullen stilled for a moment, then groaned and kissed her back. He dragged her onto his lap and held her close while Toria rained kisses upon him. As she gently kissed the scar at his lip Cullen held her head so he could kiss her deeper. Toria let him, gently moaning her approval. Toria wriggled around so that she could straddle Cullen and felt him harden beneath her. She lowered herself on him and sighed at their joining. She rocked herself on him, relishing the torturously slow pace. Cullen seemed content, kissing Toria languidly, emotions flashing across his face. As Toria leisurely moved, she whispered to Cullen how brave and wonderful he was. As she got closer to release, Cullen grasped her hips and began to grind her down harder making Toria cry out. As she begged him to continue, Cullen kissed her more roughly.

“Say you’re mine, Toria. Say you belong to only me.” he rasped.

Toria looked down into his beautiful golden eyes with her blue ones. “I’m yours Cullen. And you’re mine.” she whispered.

Cullen groaned at her words and kissed her again, rolling Toria over onto her back and covering her. As he moved within her, he whispered praise in her ears as she unraveled in his arms. As he joined her in release, Toria curled into him again, noticing that he was no longer burning up. Smiling contentedly, she fell back asleep in his arms.

The next morning Toria awoke to an empty bed. She pushed the hair out of her face, frowning. Cullen was gone. As she looked over, she saw a note on the bed. She reached over and grabbed it, reading it.

_I didn’t want to wake you. I have training with the troops this morning but join me for lunch at my quarters if you’re available. Yours, Cullen_

Toria smiled at the word ‘ _yours_ ’. As she fell back into her bed, clutching the letter and smiling she thought of the incredible evening they shared. _He loved her_. Toria thought she should probably be more freaked out about his confession but couldn’t help but be overjoyed. Did she love him back? Toria nibbled on her lip, contemplating the consequences of her answer. If she loved him, she risked her heart being broken. But they could also share a life together. Did she want to work with Josephine after the war or did she want to build a life with Cullen? She knew the answer, it came easily to her.

Toria bathed herself and headed down to grab some breakfast then headed over to Josephine’s office. As she entered, Josephine hurried over to Toria’s side.

“Toria, we must hurry to the war room. The Inquisitor has returned.” she said.

As they entered the war room, Toria saw that all the advisors were already there. She saw Cullen looking intensely at her, smirking slightly and felt her stomach fill with butterflies at the sight of him. Turning away from him, needing to focus, she looked to Evelyn.

“We know where the Wardens are, the Western approach.” Evelyn said.

Toria nodded, dread filling her as she knew that a battle was coming. “You must interrupt a ritual there. Then the Inquisition must fight a battle at Adamant Fortress.” Toria looked hard at Evelyn. “You will find answers there, Inquisitor.” Toria said cryptically. “And the fate of the Wardens will lie in your hands.”

Evelyn nodded gravely. “We must set out immediately. We leave at dawn, Cullen, prepare your troops.”

With that said, Evelyn left the war room. The advisors remained to discuss the upcoming battle. Toria had nothing to add so she excused herself. She walked to the kitchens to grab lunch and brought it to Cullen’s office, knowing he would return there directly after the meeting. As she sat in one of the chairs in his office, nibbling her lip, she thought of the battle to come. Even knowing how the upcoming events were laid out, she felt immense anxiety over it. What if events changed? Was she disrupting the future just by being here? Toria heard the unmistakable sound of Cullen walking to the door and rose to greet him. He entered and Toria rushed to his arms. As they held each other close, Cullen gently kissed her.

“Cullen, I-.” Toria started but Cullen cut her off with another kiss. He pulled her tight to him and Toria melted in his embrace. As he broke off the kiss, he looked down at her with such tenderness, rubbing a gloved thumb over her cheek.

“Cullen, promise me, you’ll be careful.” She said.

Cullen gently smiled at her. “Do you not see my victory?” he teased.

“I-I do. But I cannot say for certain. Just promise me!” she said, her eyes tearing up. Cullen sobered, seeing how upset she was.

“I promise.” he said seriously.

Toria rested her head on Cullen’s chest plate and mumbled “Thank you.” After a moment, she broke away and had him sit to eat lunch. As they ate, Toria looked at him, gauging him. “How do you feel today?” she asked.

Cullen stopped chewing for a moment and looked up at her, knowing what she was asking. He looked uneasy for a moment, but then seemed to shrug it off. “I am hot. Headache.” he answered honestly.

Toria nodded and then rose to grab a wet cloth. As she placed it on his neck, Cullen groaned aloud. “I’m sure wearing all that armor all the time really helps.” She said sarcastically.

Cullen snorted and looked at her. “But if I didn’t wear it, I wouldn’t look so dashing all the time.” He said, teasingly. Toria laughed, feeling ease at their banter. At that moment, a knock rapped at the door and they both looked up to see Evelyn enter.

“A moment if I could, Com-oh. I’ll wait outside.” Evelyn said. As Evelyn shut the door behind her, Toria looked down at Cullen.

“To work then, Commander.” She said, laughing in her head at the reference. She lightly kissed him and reluctantly made her way to the door. She looked back one last time and saw Cullen smirking at her as he caught her looking. She laughed aloud and shook her head, leaving the room. Once outside, she saw Evelyn standing directly outside the door. She didn’t look pleased.

“You’re not right for him, you know.” Evelyn sneered. Toria was shocking to see this coming from Evelyn. Even more shocked to hear Evelyn say the words Toria herself had been thinking not but a day ago. Before she could say anything back, Evelyn continued. “He needs someone who understands what he’s going through. Someone who is on his level. You are an alien in this world. You don’t even belong here!” she stated, looking down her nose at Toria.

Toria recognized the jealously on Evelyn’s face, even feeling somewhat sorry for her. Knowing she wouldn’t convince the woman otherwise, Toria turned away from her and walked away. As she slowly walked back towards the castle, she couldn’t help but hear the nagging voice in the back of her mind whispering that Evelyn was right.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post, y'all! I was on vacation :)

That evening Toria was sitting in front of the fire in her room, waiting for Cullen to come. As night fell and Toria was still waiting, she decided to go looking for him. As she came up to his office, she saw his office was still bright with torches and knew he was still there. She slowly opened the door and saw Cullen sitting at his desk, head in his hands.

“Cullen? Are you alright?” Toria asked. Cullen started at her words and looked up at her. As Toria drew closer she saw what he had been looking down at with such turbulent emotion. Lyrium. “Cullen? What is this?” she asked cautiously, studying his face. He looked tired and hardened tonight. He wouldn’t look at her.

“It’s lyrium.” He ground out. “The Inquisitor requested that I continue to take it. She needs me to be the Commander that the Inquisition needs.” He stated flatly. Toria felt a surge of anger. That bitch!

“Cullen, no. You don’t need this to succeed. You already are stronger from not taking it. Would an army follow a man who succumbs or a man who overcomes?” she asked gently. Cullen sat silently for a moment, his jaw working. After what felt like eternity, he closed the box and pushed it away.

“Stay with me tonight.” He said. It wasn’t a question but a quiet demand. Toria nodded and turned to climb the ladder. As they undressed and climbed into bed, Cullen dragged her to him and kissed her slowly. As he made slow and passionate love to her that night, Toria felt love pouring out for him and felt the desire to protect him. As they lay entwined together afterwards, Toria looked up at him.

“I love you.” she whispered. Cullen looked down at her, smiling gently.

“I love you, too” he said. They fell asleep, holding each other close. The next morning Toria helped Cullen get into his armor. They whispered their love for each other, kissed and then he was gone. Toria felt his absence profoundly and knew she had it bad for the commander. As she sighed and moped her way to Josephine’s office, she couldn’t help but worry for him. Together Josephine and Toria wrote to contacts and prepared the Inquisition for the upcoming ball with the Empress. For the next few days Toria threw herself into work, hoping to distract herself. As the days got closer to the upcoming ball a raven arrived with news of the Inquisitor and Josephine read it aloud. The letter noted that the Inquisitor was alive and had succeeded, and with the Commanders army, they had overtaken Adamant. Toria visibly sagged with relief at hearing the news.

“It also notes that the Inquisitor along with her companions and Commander Rutherford will be heading straight to the Empresses court as there won’t be time to return here.” Josephine said, already frowning. “We will have to pack for them all…” she said pitifully. She looked up at Tori. “You, of course, can pack for the Commander, he will be much happier to receive his things from you.” She added.

Toria looked back, confused. “But…I am going too?” she asked.

Josephine halted in her preparations and shot a quick smile at Toria. “Why, of course. You are an advisor after all and this is a most delicate matter, we will need your guidance.” She said.

Toria nodded, surprised and pleased that she would get to see the beautiful Orlesian palace. As she watched Josephine walk away, Toria stood up suddenly struck with a horrible thought. “Wait! Josie…what will I wear?” A day later, Toria was fitted in one of the hideous red suits. She pulled at the neck and grimaced. “Really, Josie. Can’t I wear a dress? I am not even a real advisor, more of an honorary one. A wallflower in the background. A fly on the wall. A-“

Josie huffed and held up her hand, effectively cutting Toria off. “I’ll see what I can do. But take the suit with you, just in case other arrangements cannot be made.”

“Thank you, Josie!” Toria almost shouted in relief. The suit really was unbearable, as uncomfortable as ugly. Toria then set about packing things for herself and Cullen, knowing that they were going to be there for a few days.

That evening Josephine and Toria climbed into a carriage reserved for just the two of them and they were off. Seeing how it would take about a night’s ride to get there, Toria was hoping to get some rest, happy to see the carriage was more of a bed, filled with furs and pillows, with shades drawn. She settled in and soon the sway of the carriage helped her fall asleep. Toria opened her eyes to a sliver of sunlight across her face. She squinted, raising a hand to shield herself. She sat up, excitement beginning to fill her. The carriage was still moving, but she could hear that it was on a road. She looked over to see Josephine still sleeping, pausing to see her so still and peaceful. She then peeked out of the shade, careful not to fill the carriage with too much light.

Orlais! It was so colorful and beautiful, the streets already full of people in their frivolous garb. Toria stayed this way, peeking out the window until they pulled in to the palace grounds. She gently shook Josephine awake so that she could wipe the sleep from her eyes before they left the carriage. The carriage stopped moving and the door opened. As Toria was escorted to her rooms, she looked around trying to take in all the details. The halls were extravagant, and gold touched. Everything was so beautiful and handcrafted to fit the spot it occupied.

As Toria walked into the room that was hers, she could barely believe it. It was huge. The bed looked as if ten people could sleep in it and so soft and filled with plush pillows, Toria nearly wept with joy. Then she saw the adjacent room, the bathroom. The in ground stone tub was large, like a small swimming pool, cleverly designed so that warm water was constantly running though it keeping it warm and fresh. Toria gaped at it for a moment, stunned. Then with a cry she began to tear the clothes she was wearing off, throwing her shoes behind her, uncaring. She stepped into the bath and moaned blissfully. She began sampling the beautiful soaps and oils left conveniently on the side of the in ground tub. Smelling one soap that smelled like vanilla and grapefruit she began to scrub herself slowly, wanting to savor the luxurious bath.

“Now this is a sight I could walk in on every day.” Said a deep voice. Toria whipped her head around, recognizing the voice immediately.

“Cullen!” she said seeing him already partially undressed. As he stepped into the bath, she jumped to him and he caught her easily. She pressed her lips to his and he pulled her naked form tightly against his. Cullen sank down into the water, still holding Toria close. Toria entwined her arms behind Cullen’s head, lips curling against his.

“Cullen, I missed you so much!” Toria said. Suddenly she pushed away from him. “Are you hurt? Let me look at you!” she exclaimed.

Cullen laughed and pulled her back into his chest. “I am fine!” he said kissing her again. “I missed you too.” He mumbled against her lips.

Toria sighed happily, content to in his arms again. Cullen threaded his fingers through her damp hair, and looked down at her. It always made Toria so happy to see him at ease, just as he was right now. She smiled happily. Cullen’s eyes dipped down to her lips then back to her eyes.

“And just what are you smiling at?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

“At my handsome man, of course.” Toria said, laughing.

Cullen smirked and dipped his head down again to kiss her deeply. His hands slipped down her body, her slick skin letting them glide easily. He pressed a hand to her core, slipping a finger inside of her. Toria gasped, her head falling back. Cullen leaned forward to capture a nipple in his mouth.

A knock on the door startled them, Toria’s head snapping up while Cullen stood, pulling her behind him to shield her.

“Commander, the Inquisitor requires your presence.” Said an unknown male voice. Culled sighed, closing his eyes.

“I’ll be there shortly.” He replied.

“Very good, sir.” The voice said.

Cullen turned to look down at Toria, looking tense again. Toria reached a hand up to his face, gently pulling him down to her lips to softly kiss him.

“Back to work, Commander.” Toria said softly, sad to be parting from him so soon.

“I’ll try to return quickly, but if not, I’ll see you at the ball this evening.” He said.

Toria nodded and then watched as he dried and dressed. As he left he turned to look back at her one last time, clearly loathe to leave. He turned and shut the door behind him. Toria huffed and fell back into the water. After she floated around a bit longer, she dried and dressed, decided to walk around the palace to explore a bit. As she walked the halls she found a door that led outside to the gardens. Toria walked around, soaking in the sunshine and breathing in the heavy floral scents. As she stopped to admire a particularly large flower she heard someone approaching her from behind. She turned and saw a tall handsome man walking towards her.

“Hello, madam. May I join you?” he said smoothly.

Toria took in his features, noting his dark close shaven hair and light blue eyes. He was handsome in a roughly, aristocratic way.

“Oh, of course, I was just taking in the flowers and sunshine.” Toria said.

“Ah, yes. The famous Crystal Grace gardens. There is an old tale of a woman who had these planted all over her garden and hired a mage to enchant them to tinkle in the wind. Eventually she grew so tiresome of the constant sound she set them on fire.” He said with a smile.

Toria laughed aloud at the story, still looking at the beautiful flowers. “Seems like such a waste.” She said.

“That is the people of Orlais for you. Too much money, not enough sense.” He said. “I am Gaspard de Chalons.”

Toria gasped and turned to face him fully. “Grand Duke! My apologies, I didn’t realize. I am Toria.”

The duke smiled and took her hand, slightly bowing over it. “No apologies necessary, madam. To look upon such a beauty is all I need. I assume you are here with the Inquisition, yes?”

Toria gently took her hand back, while nodding. “Yes, I am.” She said shortly.

Gaspard laughed aloud. “Ah, a woman of few words. What a rare pleasure in the world of Orlais. I do hope we can have a chance to meet again this evening, perhaps you will save me a dance?” he said, smiling handsomely.

“Perhaps, Grand Duke.” Toria smiled back widely, knowing Gaspard had most likely sought her out for a reason. With that he bowed to her again and turned and left. Toria watched him leave then turned to head back to her own rooms to begin getting ready. As she entered, she saw a small parcel wrapped nicely on the desk. As she opened it she gasped aloud at the beautiful fabric inside. She pulled it out to see that it was a gorgeous dress. Light pink, with rose gold thread woven through to make a delicate floral pattern. Toria offered up silent thanks to Josephine and laid the dress out on the bed as she began to get ready.


End file.
